Kansas City News Blog

Back in July, Titus Bond’s emergence in Kansas politics raised alarm like a Katie Horner forecast. Bond ran for a Kansas House seat vacated by Stephanie Sharp. A former Missouri resident, Bond registered to vote July 3 in Johnson County using an address in Shawnee.

The problem is that it’s unclear whether 23-year-old Bond ever actually lived in the house.

The 17th District seat became open in July when Sharp resigned to take a job with Community America Credit Union. Under election rules, precinct Republican committee people voted in a special election July 18 to pick a replacement.

Bond (no relation to Sen. Kit Bond) is a former employee of U.S. Sen. Sam Graves and now works as a sales rep for Freightquote in Lenexa. He’s friends with mudslinging GOP political operative Jeff Roe, which immediately gave him the label of the conservative candidate in the race.

Bond’s voter registration application listed as his home address a house on Lind Road that actually belongs to Richard and Julie Paradise. Richard Paradise tells the Pitch that Bond “kind of” lived at his Shawnee home. Asked to explain what he means, Paradise says: “Well, I mean, was he cutting the grass for us or any of that other stuff? No. I'll just say that yes, he has kind of lived at our house.”

Bond did have the family's permission to claim their residence as his home address, Paradise says.

“The intent was for him to live there – while he was getting an apartment – for a very short time,” Paradise says. “So that was all approved and done and okayed by me, and beyond that, I don't know much else.”

In an interview with the Pitch, Bond says he had a verbal contract with Richard Paradise, whom he calls a family friend, not a formal lease.

“We worked out an agreement where I'd have residency at his home and pay rent there with him until I was able to find a place to move to permanently,” Bond says.

Before the special election, Sharp endorsed 54-year-old registered nurse Jill Quigley as her replacement. Because of the endorsement, Bond’s label as a conservative and the flap over his residence, Quigley won by six votes, 18-12.

Bond says he might have pulled more votes had the residency flap not interfered. That won't be a problem if he decides to run again. Bond says he moved into an in-district apartment on August 10.

“It's costing me a lot more living there than before but ... I don't want the trouble with everybody saying things, just spreading rumors,” Bond says.

Even though he has moved into the scuffling 17th, Bond says he hasn't decided if he will challenge Quigley in 2008.

“I plan on running for office one day in a real election, rather than in a precinct election,” Bond says. “I need to figure out what I want to do and if it's the right time for me to do this or not.” -- Justin Kendall